Orangutans Hop on the iPad Bandwagon

Trish Khan says the iPad applications are great for enrichment activities for the zoo's orangutans - and possibly other primates, too. She also says the iPads could be used in the future to help with cognitive research.

It took a while for Tommy, the zoo's adult male orangutan, not to feel threatened by volunteer Scott Engel coming up to the glass. But for Tommy, the iPad helped turn Engel from potential competitor to friend.

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Back in February, Lake Effect celebrated Primate week with a series of stories and features about our close cousins. One of those features considered the technological prowess of primates – and we’re not talking just humans. There was Albert II, the first rhesus monkey in space. Or the orangutans at the Milwaukee County Zoo, who, like their human counterparts, really enjoy iPads. It may not be what Steve Jobs had in mind, but it turns out that iPads have some practical uses at a zoo.

Lake Effect’s Stephanie Lecci produced our feature – it first aired in February. She spoke with the zoo’s Trish Kahn, who is area supervisor of primates and apes, and volunteer Scott Engel, and she thanks MJ, Mahal and Tommy the orangutans for their patience.